I own … not much. Mostly these characters are from Stan Sakai's comic. I write these stories just out of love. Please, read for free.

Usagi walked up to the Komori standing in a semicircle far enough apart each could spread out their wings. A second layer behind them stood in these gaps. They continued in the same pattern until they came to the last of five such layers of Komori ninja. There must have been at least fifty, flying ninja altogether. As far as Usagi could tell, Lord Noriyuki had gone out with an amount of Samurai needed to guard against perhaps the lone assassin, unhappy villagers, and maybe an angry mob in a larger town. The ninja had come in large numbers for him. Had Tomoe Ame not been Tomoe Ame, or Gen not been with them, or he …

Usagi forced his face and voice to be neutral as he spoke to their leader. Kurokaze stood in the middle of the first line of ninja before him. "Here I am. What did you wish to say to me?"

"We overheard you speaking to Tomoe Ame."

A jolt of pure fury went up Usagi's spine like lightning into dry grass. His hands gripped the hilts of his swords tighter. His jaw clenched. The Komori ninja-clan leader grinned at his reaction.

Usagi took several breaths to calm himself before speaking. "What has that to do with our conflicting businesses, ninja?"

"Something."

Usagi's reply was bit out. "What?"

"If you allow us to knock you unconscious, we can rid you both of what stands between you."

Usagi drew his blade and held it out only to find out he was still too far away to draw blood from the bat. He grit his teeth and narrowed his eyes at the ninja-leader. "Take Noriyuki from Tomoe Ame, and she will not survive. But even if she would and would bind herself to me in those circumstances, I would not take this deal! It is the height of dishonor."

"Too bad. I suppose then, we either kill you here in a fight before you can return to stand with the others and then face them for the Lord Noriyuki's capture, or we can accept your original offer to us."

Usagi took a deep breath before asking with it, "Would you take that offer still? I was under the impression, after you failed to go through with it earlier, it was a test."

"Does that mean you rescind that offer?"

"No, it means when we are so close to getting Lord Noriyuki home safe after facing so many foes, I do not wish to leave them to your mercies now!"

"You have, as I correctly guessed, done as you told Tomoe Ame we wished you to cut down the numbers of our foes considerably. Now, we would have our original prize or another we will be honored greatly for. Lord Noriyuki is a great prize alive, but your head is also a great one. To gain it while remaining a clan strong in numbers would be a great boon indeed especially with the Neko and Mogura still smarting from their losses to you great warrior. At the least, we would be renowned for our cunning and great strength in negotiations, and they laughed at for their foolishness and failures."

Usagi sheathed his blade. "If I can trust you to keep your end of the bargain, then I will give my head to you."

"Go and say goodbye to your friends then Samurai."

Usagi lowered his brows at them. "You wish me to say goodbye to the others?"

"Is that not a gift to allow you to do such, honorable Samurai?"

He lifted one eyebrow at the ninja clan leader. Then both of his brows flew up. "You wish them to complain and stop me so you can go back on the agreement and take Lord Noriyuki by force in the resulting struggle!"

What do you think?

God Bless

ScribeofHeroes